Infinity's Dawn: Knights of the Stratosphere
by Evident Disaster
Summary: During an operation against Covenant forces, a Spartan III operator using a MK-V ADS exoskeleton is lost, displaced in time and space, he winds up in a reality where women hold greater influence. And where the technological marvel known as Infinite Stratos exists, for the young Spartan, he is thrown into an world of politics, power and wealth. Chapter 1 now ready for your enjoyment
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Pieces are Set…

Time: 12:33 EST (Earth Standard Time)

Date: 23/08/2558

Location: Anathema Verge- Delphi Nebula

In the depths of the Anathema Verge, the UNSC 'Nightingale' silently glided through the miasma of the Delphi Nebula, the milky white and purplish hue gasses swirled and shifted around the hull of the ship as the gravitic field of the ship left a displacement wake. The hull of the craft was made of reflective photo-reactive plating which absorbed and refracted light around it, ensuring that the ship would blend seamlessly into its surroundings.

The stealth ship's hull was large, 575 meters in length, 365 meters wide and 275 meters in height, the vessel had a number of concealed engines which could operate without being detected, and there was also a moderately sized concealed hangar bay underneath which was cloaked by a refraction field. The bay itself was active with personnel working on various pieces of machinery and equipment.

As for the interior of the craft, it was a contrast in comparison to the ship's exterior, corridors of sterile white and grey metal decking and illuminated signs were present throughout most junctions and doorways. Access ports had red markings, engineering stations had yellow and black warning stripes, and the conference chamber of the ship was filled with people.

In this chamber there were dozens of armour clad individuals, some had golden dome shaped helmets, others had single slit helmets with varying faceplate designs, and all of them had armour which varied in shape and form each customised or standardised. For everyone else currently present in the room, they were all sporting uniforms of chromatic contrasts or were lightly armoured in comparison to the larger bodies currently present.

Little was said amongst the personnel who waited patiently, most chatter was between members of the uniformed personnel, the armour clad persons on the other hand sat in silent contemplation and passiveness for the briefing which was soon to begin. None of them had to wait particularly long, the doorway on the other side of the room activated, the dual lock passage whined as it activated, and in a split second the door opened up.

One of the uniformed staff officers in the room stood up and called out.  
"Attention, officers on deck!"

The gathered personnel in the room reacted and took up their stance in attention as four officers entered into the room. A black dressed officer with a cap and various amounts of military regalia on his uniform strode stoically to his seat where he was followed by a grey uniformed officer of a slightly different branch; the other two officers were of lesser ranks than the senior members strode in afterwards just as dignified as the highest ranking officer.

The black uniform dressed man stood up and addressed the collective group.  
"At ease." He said curtly.

Everyone in the room stood with their legs slightly apart as they relaxed so to speak, the man then continued.  
"As you all know, that officially speaking, the war between the human race and the Covenant has ended and we are at peace. However this is merely the Covenant Empire as we know it, not what remains."

He paused as he activated a direct neural interface with the ship's computer and brought to life the nearby holographic projector, which took a moment to load the data provided by the vast data-banks of the ship. Though the process to a split second as a map appeared of a fully 3 dimensional sphere of the region in which they now currently travelled.

Fully detailed images were displayed, stars, planets, and the nebula in which they were currently travelling through, the image indicated also the 'Nightingale's' position, and the position of their intended targets illuminated in a bright yellow along with numerous red indicators of enemy ships and troops currently deployed.

"We remain wary towards our new allies, who while they call themselves our 'allies', it's all semantics to us, as there are those who still see us as the enemy, and in a sense that sentiment is mutual. As of now, the ONI has acquired data from them in regards to the location of a Covenant remnant facility located in this region. I'll let Sera continue the briefing." The officer said before gesturing to the nearby holographic projector.

As if on cue, a bright shimmer followed before a woman appeared, she was adorned in an emerald green and snow white dress which showed a little bit of cleavage, while it might have caught some men's attention the Spartans remained focused.

"Thank you Admiral Winters." The holographic woman took the display herself and addressed the gathered persons. "Ladies and gentlemen, the ONI has determined the location of a UNSC fusion nuclear weapons cache which had been hijacked from a remote storage facility." The synthesised voice of the woman echoed within the room as she displayed the footage from the attack on the UNSC station which had housed the weapons.

"A total of fourteen hundred fusion nuclear warheads were taken from the facility, all of which were classed as MK-VII Nova, and I do not need to tell you how dangerous a Nova class fusion nuclear weapon can be, especially that many." She said gravely.

The AI provided a direct image of the process of breakdown as she explained it; there were recordings of the Nova fusion nuclear warheads in use, more specifically the recordings of the battle of Tetra Ilium, where over a hundred Spartans held their ground to destroy a Covenant armada which was trying to overrun the colony.

As the UNSC defenders were overrun, the Spartans on the ground detonated the stockpile of Nova class fusion nuclear warheads, in an instant the surface of the planet was illuminated as a bright flash of light occurred. In moments the explosion travelled upwards and out into the void as the planet was gradually torn apart by the devastating forces being exerted by the explosion.

There were a few looks of uncertainty of that explanation but they didn't question it, they knew what was at stake. Admiral Winters once more took to the fore as he dismissed the AI.

"Thank you Sera." He said as he looked at the gathered persons.

"Gentlemen, this is something which I emphasise to you, this mission is of the utmost importance, in the next day, we will be engaging these Remnants, our objective here is simple, ensure that none of these ships ever leave those ports." He said as he gestured to the holographic display.

The officer took a moment to tap into the direct link of the computers before stating.  
"The operation is straight forward, we will deploy several teams of Spartans and four platoons of ODSTs using stealth insertion pods, and they will be accompanied by a unit of Spartan MKV ADS IWSP specialists who will provide them the necessary support in striking against the Covenant defences."

"Our expected level of resistance is high; these are zealous Covenant fanatics who would love nothing more than to take one last defiant shot at humanity." He said while indicating to the number of projected Covenant units in the display.

"That said, there will be blocking forces deployed out along the area of operations who will be performing support roles, they will ensure that no Covenant escapes from the area and they will be acting as our eyes and ears in the event of an emergency. We must always remember that these zealots are utterly tenacious in their persecution of war against us; we in turn must be just as tenacious." He enthused as he indicated the deployment of Spartans throughout the display.

A younger officer stepped forwards, his rank identifying him as a Lieutenant Commander. "Alright, ODST companies, Bravo, Lima, and Theta will be accompanying Spartan teams Orion, Helios, Odin and Hercules. Additional support will be deployed according to the development of the battle. The Nightingale will hold to the rear, and provide support, but she won't be able to move through the field as the density is too high to avoid being detected."

"If there are no questions, all participating teams are to report to ready stations within the next hour, remember to perform last minute checks, mission preparations are to be finished within the hour." The officer said as he looked around.

The senior personnel left as they finished up.

"Alright, dismissed!" The ranking officer declared.

Within moments the gathered personnel began to pick themselves up and leave the briefing room, filing out in order.

XXXXX

In the corridor of the 'Nightingale', amidst the bustling of personnel heading to their duty stations or going off to complete any last check-ups, those of the Spartans intermingled and formed into their respective teams or groups. Those of the Spartan teams were always tightknit groups, though there were a few which didn't quite fit in.

A young looking raven haired man with deep brown eyes, dressed in his operator's overalls and jacket exited from the meeting room in his lonesome, his movements rather steady as he walked amidst the crowds of other UNSC personnel, his height and apparel made him stand out amongst the crowd. But few paid any attention to him, seeing as he wasn't anything new.

This Spartan was Ray Himitsuki or Rayleigh Himitsuki if you wanted his full name; however he preferred to have his name shortened down to Ray though. And he didn't refer to using his full name unless necessary. Ray was a veteran Spartan operator, which was essentially a combat specialist who was utilised in other fields rather than just ground work.

Mostly reserved for field duties in tactical scenarios, he was one of the few Spartans which had survived many deadly encounters with the Covenant. His reputation was what made him stand out, though this was in combination of his lone wolf status, brought about by the fact that most of his comrades and friends having perished.

This was one of the reasons why he was alone, unlike other Spartans currently present; he didn't have a designated team to be working with and the UNSC was unlikely going to stick him in any team soon, and he didn't mind this predicament that he found himself within. As he would still have a role in the UNSC regardless, even as minor as a supporting role, he didn't outright question it.

As he took a turn around a corner and headed towards the junction the lifts so he could go down to the hangar and prepare, as he did so, he was called from behind by a feminine voice.  
"Ray, wait up…"

The man stopped in his tracks and turned to the source of the voice, he came upon a similarly dressed woman as himself, with dark skin and blonde hair. She had green eyes and rather shapely body; one would almost mistake this woman for a model rather than a soldier. The woman in question gracefully strode over to his side.  
"Warrant Officer Alma, is there something you need?" He asked the woman promptly.

"Besides wanting to check up on you?" The woman replied with a raised eyebrow.

Ray turned back to walking down the corridor with the woman in tow, his reply was curt.  
"You know I'm not much for friends these days."

"That's a harsh thing to say." The woman replied aloof to his comment, she stayed by his side almost keeping within a feet of him.

"Well it's how I'm used to it, and I'm fairly certain you've been aware of this for a while now." He told her.

"Oh please, you've been a Spartan for longer than most, and you're still playing to role of lone wolf, I know you've had a past history with teams, but I don't think this level of seclusion suits someone likes yourself." She told him insistently. "I know that there must be more to this than you're letting on."

Ray knew Alma was a person who liked to pry into the lives of other Spartans, she was something of a psychologist, but she was also one of the few Spartan intelligence operators. Her interests were mostly focused on gaining intelligence on enemies of the UNSC, but her hobby consisted of examining the mentality of Spartans like him.

"Warrant Officer, is there a particular reason today that you're currently imposing upon me?" He asked with a slightly tense tone.

He knew that Alma liked to jab at people's personality, but he regarded her persistence as something grating, but he didn't really try to voice his grievance with the woman, as she already knew it herself. She liked to toy with him subtly, she didn't press too far though, mainly because she knew that there were some things in which she shouldn't pry into.

"For perspective, I'm most certain you're keeping to yourself besides wanting to be alone." She told him with a nonchalant shrug.

Ray sighed, he knew the answer well beforehand, and the trouble was keeping the warrant officer preoccupied and away from annoying him. But before he made his reply the elevator stopped and opened up to allow another occupant to enter. This was a man who stood taller than Ray and Alma though only by a small difference, his appearance was calm and conserved, he was fairly good looking, and they both knew why.

"Lieutenant Carson." Ray greeted the man.

"Lieutenant." Alma said with a curt nod.

"Chief Petty Officer Ray, Warrant Officer Alma." The man returned the greetings.

The two stepped into the elevator rather tentatively whilst keeping their body language professional; they knew who this man was. As he took a spot by the left side wall, the doors closed and the man eyed the chief petty officer.

There was a moment of silence before the lieutenant asked the man.  
"So I hear that you've been reassigned to overwatch as part of our operation? I must say that's quite a blow to your standing isn't it? I mean you have served diligently for years, and now you're getting circulated?"

"I have no objections to the decision, if the senior officers felt that I would be required to participate in another fashion. Then I respect their judgement."

"I guess that you could sum it up in such a fashion, though I'm surprised that you didn't attempt to reappeal this decision with the Colonel."

"I felt it unnecessary to force a change in operation which would be undertaken regardless."

Alma was aware of what Carson was like, despite his calm demeanour, the man was a calculating schemer, who saw opportunity. He was always eager to prove himself superior, even if it meant belittling the other personnel in the ranks of the Spartans. Carson was one of the few Spartans who had joined in the recent years, as part of the Spartan GEN II program; he was one of the earliest recruits.

However, he was a very questionable choice for Spartan thanks to his history; many rumours went about his potion having been secured through familial contacts. This nepotism was something the UNSC had frowned upon in their ranks, more so with Spartans, as most voluntarily joined for the sake of protecting humanity, not glorifying themselves.

Alma disliked Carson with a passion, as the smug lieutenant looked patiently, Alma snapped a remark.  
"It's more likely that the commanders feel that the other units would benefit for the chance to earn themselves a reputation, after all someone like Himitsuki has lain more deaths in a single operation than in most Spartans in their entire careers."

She was right on that note and the statistics showed, but for the most part this was a professional barb she had stung into Carson's ego, and he loved to stroke his own ego. The man stiffened in response before stating.  
"Under most circumstances, I'd question the necessity of needing intelligence operators in the Spartan corps, as if redundant branches are a requirement for a force which prides itself upon being the sword and shield to defend the human race. I hardly expect that most of the commanders feel the need to include your branch as part of our corps." Carson stated whilst he continued to appear composed.

The young woman eyed the man with a deathly glare. She really disliked Carson with a passion and so did many other Spartans in their ranks. But Thanks to professional discipline and the constant reminder of their respect for the chain of command, they had to bear with his insufferable antics; of course if he was ever caught out with making a mistake then he'd get himself knocked down a bunch of pegs.

Unfortunately, the jackass knew this and did his utmost to keep himself out of the immediate risk of getting screwed over by his mistakes. He also had a tendency to shove blame elsewhere in the event of an actual error on his part. The man was well voiced, and could twist the truth to keep him from getting into serious trouble.

But regardless, his reputation was lacklustre in comparison to the achievements of real Spartans, something he resented Spartans like Ray for. Of course he didn't dare do anything which could implicate him into a court martial offence. But Alma knew his days were numbered, and one day sooner or later, he'd get himself into more trouble than he could handle.

She took Carson's barb against her profession well; she composed herself before Ray then spoke up.  
"I see no issue with having a system of redundancy, operational elements of the UNSC rely on a dedicated network of personnel, even our own intelligence operatives are a useful element to determining the best course of action, I'd prefer we be able to know our enemy rather than not."  
He stated clearly to Carson.

Carson's eyes narrowed at that moment, he knew of how Ray usually tried to take the objective stance on things, even as a Spartan. This frustrated him in most cases, he never liked those who never followed their passions like he did, to him ambition was a driving factor to be something great, but he usually saw those who didn't advance as somewhat lazy or incompetent.

In the case of Ray, he saw Ray as a solitary mountain, which stood out against him.  
"I still don't get why you're the one whose keeps trying to justify this, if that was the case, then why are you still under freelance rotation? I don't recall a single lone Spartan classifying itself as a necessary redundancy do you?"

"I know, but in my situation, this is an abnormal development, one which Command feels is acceptable."

"You say abnormal but most think otherwise." Carson jabbed at him.

"Semantics, the Colonel has already given the clearance in the past for what I've done. Whether you accept that or not, I won't argue." Ray said adamantly.

The lieutenant didn't bother giving him another jab as he knew that he wouldn't be able to provoke the response he wanted out of Ray. The man was stubbornly difficult to provoke over these sorts of matters. That and Ray knew that he was trying to do this intentionally, so there was little to do with annoying him.

Alma on the other had seemed likely to kick his ass seven ways to next Sunday, but she was easier to evoke a response from, so he didn't care as much. As the elevator reached the primary living quarters level, Carson exited.  
"I'll see you two around, and don't forget, there's many ways to the top. Even for someone like me." He said promptly with a lazy wave of the hand.

"Son of a bitch." Alma cussed as the doors closed, her furrowed brow and tense stance didn't need Ray to analyse as he knew how angry she was at the man who stood apart from Spartans.

"Alma, here are a few words of wisdom. There is a time and place, and this isn't it." Ray said to the woman.

"But." The woman was about to object but Ray continued on.

"Lieutenant Carson is an officer, and admittedly while he doesn't hold up to this on a personal level, on a professional level he is able to do so, even if it's through less than acceptable methods. But eventually he'll make a mistake, and it'll cost him, but that mistake will either make or break him." He said before adding. "That time will come."

"You sure sound optimistic." Alma panned at his comment.

"That's only because you think of it that way, I only look to be objective here, Spartans uphold the best in regards to the UNSC, and men like Carson are a dime in a dozen. We have to deal with them regardless." He said as they headed down to the hangar bay.

The two parted ways, as Ray's unit was on the portside bays and Alma was stationed with the other operatives for their planned infiltration mission, the young woman waved off to Ray as he left.

XXXXX

Ray made his way to the berths where the various exoskeleton units were being held, he strolled past various bays which were in varying states of preparation, technicians and engineers sailed back and forth with equipment, going off to either finish repairs or undertake some form of maintenance. The Spartan couldn't help but engross his senses in listening to the idle chatter, movement of boots on the deck plating, all while he inwardly thought about his future prospects.

Ray eventually returned to his unit, which sat in its berthing alcove. The Mk-V was already attached to its recon load out, FAST booster pack attached, along with multi-sensor booster. He had also spotted the M8/G Spartan laser rifle prepared for use lying on a weapon's rack nearby. The weapon load out he had prepared was for the overwatch role.

The suit stood open, his MK-V integrated combat exoskeleton was a dual system, one which used a functioning MK-V MJOLNIR and the attached MK-V ADS which supported it. The MK-V was a dual tandem system, one which worked well in combat operations; it had a variable framework which could utilise an assortment of systems.

Offensive systems and defensive systems were customised for Ray's unit, being capable of operating more complex or advanced functions which wouldn't be present in any other MK-V. All Spartans veterans who make it into the Naval Special Operations Warfare branch were given the chance to upgrade as they saw fit. These upgrades are either very specific for a Spartan's specialty or field of expertise, or it would be intended for special use.

Ray was in the latter category due to years of surviving virtual death sentences, one after another, he was given special modifications and upgrades intended to keep him alive against the odds, as long as it was deemed necessary. The Spartans were given a wide variety of upgrades meant to keep them functioning in the field for as long as possible, even in the face of imminent death.

Ray clambered into his machine via a retractable step ladder provided for operators, he slid himself into his suit, and interfaced via a direct neural interface and a data pad provided for Spartan operators. A cool soothing sensation of mercury filled the back of his mind as he connected to his machine.

"There you are I was beginning to worry you got lost." A familiar feminine voice commented cheerfully from within his mind.

Ray's mind amalgamated the feeling of the AI of his machine, the young woman who he had been partnered with for so many years.  
"No need to worry Gallia, I'm sure if I ever get lost, you'd find me." He replied through his neural connection when he opened his eyes.

"In that event, I might as well be a browser." The female AI huffed at his remark.

Gallia was Ray's AI, and has been for nearly eighteen years of his life, they met one another not long after his first mission against the Covenant, where most of the unit he was assigned to was killed, and he was one of the few remaining Spartans left alive. She had been given to him as an advanced prototype Smart AI intended to perform various roles, including cyber-warfare.

They were together since his early years, fighting one battle after the next, though they were separated from time to time, they were always allowed to reunite, as their combination was very efficient in combat. Ray had a rather close bond to his AI, and always listened to what Gallia had to say to him, and Galli cared for the wellbeing of her Spartan, despite her rather droll demeanour.

Their union had been something of an experiment at first by the UNSC, but at the behest of the Spartan GEN I director, the decision was made to allow the two to remain as a unit for as long as they wished. It was because their synergy was so great and also thanks to Gallia's ability to restrain Ray in times of duress.

She was also the one of the few AI which was able to operate effectively with Spartans for long periods of time, aiding Ray in his mission against multiple odds and against multiple enemies. They were best together and no one could deny it, even though Gallia's personality clashed with her Spartan's.

"How's the start-up sequence?" Ray inquired as he began to link his mind to various motor control systems with his mind.

"All systems running normal, start-up procedures are operating within parameters." The AI said as she brought up tactical displays and info.

"Weapon operational systems are synced, lag response time is down to the nanosecond, and all neural responses are properly operating." He announced as he felt the connection.

"So you're thrilled about the prospect of being held in the rear this time?" He heard Gallia inquire as he waited patiently.

"I don't have an opinion on it; I'm merely following the directives given to me." He replied promptly as calmly as he could.

"So I take it as a no then?" Gallia surmised from his response.

"Gallia, you know fully well that I operate as I am, even if they tell me to hang back, that's the decision of those above, I'll respect it." He said as he prepared his machine.

"Why do you tell yourself that?" Gallia asked him, her voice sounded quite sympathetic.

"I don't understand what you're referring to."

"Oh please, you know that this isn't like you, you always drive headlong into battle, and you've always been the one to experience all that the universe can throw at you."

"Is that so?"

"It's true."

Ray sighed. "I know that there's potentially more waiting for me, but to be perfectly honest, I am but one piece of a larger machine, this is a commitment I and you have made, since my recruitment and your birth. It is something I feel we've distinguished ourselves well within."

"But you must know that one day it will end for you right? I mean there's no way you'd keep being a Spartan forever."

"I know." He said promptly.

He knew that he was just lying to himself there as he had never thought about the potential future which lay ahead of him. But he did know his place as a Spartan wasn't to be wasted, no, he understood that he had value as of now, and he would retain these values. He had planned to see it through, and should one day he be discharged, then he'd accept that as well.

But to him, his fight, his existence had been intertwined with his life as a Spartan; of course he knew it would end one day, either through death or otherwise. His service period would come to a close one day, and he'd be able to rest easy knowing he had done all he could. The impact he would leave would be remembered, and that's all he could hope for.

Of course Gallia didn't see it in the same fashion, Ray was much more to her, like a son or a younger brother, so narrow sighted, she had hoped that she would be able to develop his view of the world more, and allow him to seek out more avenues for life than continue to exist as a gear in the machine of the UNSC.

But that day has yet to come when she would be able to show him a future, until then she would remain by his side. Helping him until he could do it all on his own.  
"Time's up." She said quietly through the link.

They got back to work as the ship made its final preparations for combat operations. Gallia and Ray were readying the last systems on the MK-V, loading up ammunition and double checking all the statuses on the suit's power and operational settings. As they completed the final checks on the suit, Gallia sensed the ship exit out of slip-space.

"It's time we get going." She said to Ray.

Over the ship the sounds of alarms began to ring, indicating that the ship was preparing for final preparations, the operation was underway, and there was no backing out of it now.

XXXXX

The 'Nightingale' exited slip-space on the outer edges of the star system near the gas giant, it was the best area to exit since the gas giant's magnetic fields and moons would obscure any sensor readings made by Covenant ships, and the stealth systems of the stealth Cruiser could be turned down for longer operational time.

In the hangar bay of the ship, teams were finished with preparation work and were getting ready for deployment, their assigned areas of operation were designated and they had little time to waste, the Remnants had to be dealt with. As the ship made its way to the deployment zone, the advanced recon units were deployed.

Ray exited the lower hangar via the catapult, his unit was carried into the asteroid belt, and using his manoeuvring thrusters he adjusted his trajectory accordingly, he had no need for doing anything complex, he would be acting as blocker for this mission along with the others. They wouldn't be needed any further out than the AO, from there they'd be able to cover their objectives and keep an eye out for hostile movement.

Early Warning and Control units were dispersed within the area of operation; MSF-09 Neros were dispersed throughout the area, their bulky advanced sensory suites, hanging off their frames like a kitchen cabinet having been attached to the top of the machine's frame. Their sensory suites gave a full overview of the Covenant facility, designating the movement of troops and machinery and scanning for potential outlying units.

Other teams of MSF units made their way over to the positions surrounding the docking bays, though they didn't expose themselves, they positioned themselves accordingly in order to bring their arsenals to bear. Missile pods, MLA mounted cannons; assault cannons were prepared, along with mounted heavy M8 laser rifles.

Infantry moved into position through the use of specialised shielding pods which could be hidden from Covenant sensors, active camouflage systems engaged to allow marines to take up position around the docks. Their movements were masked amidst the drifting asteroids, though they knew that they had to minimalize their signature to avoid arousing suspicion.

A small unit in the right place would be enough to disable a sentry or sensor quickly rather than risking a larger force of troops which could be discovered easily. That and stealth modules were easier for use if their overall surface area was spread out more to avoid being detected. As each reached their intended target destination, their complement of troops disembarked.

Marines scattered with Spartans in tow, primed and armed with high explosive charges and demolition work, they breached the various sections of the asteroid dock, either to plant demolition charges or to infiltrate a particular section of the facility and commit to sabotaging whatever they could manage before the main force struck.

Their force's AIs began the meticulous work of slicing into the Covenant network, setting up false alarms and disabling whatever system they needed to in order for them to pull this mission off. Direct security feeds would need to be dealt with by the infiltration teams quickly, but they had to ensure that the ships didn't leave the docks.

Infiltrators had to difficult challenge of sabotaging the primary dock controls as it was the only thing keeping the Covenant remnants' fleet from exiting the area and making an escape. Just as the first phase of their operation ended, something happened.

"What's that?" One of the Spartan operators asked aloud.

"I'm seeing something, looks like movement." Ray said as he noted the movement of one Covenant exoskeleton frame using a commander's markings.

"I see it as well, looks like something's up." Gallia commented as she did a visual spectrograph of the area.

It was then a flare was popped, a green and blue luminescent signal.  
"Shit, looks like we're starting early!" Carson called over their network.

"All units execute Phase 2; begin the assault, do not let them organise their response force!" Winters ordered as they began to move from their positions.

As if on cue, missiles came raining down from above, teams of MSF operators unleashed what ordinance they had, sending dozens of large tubular shaped missiles. Though these weren't normal missiles, as they reached a certain point, the missiles opened up, their outer plating revealing a number of clustered projectiles.

In an instant the micro-sized warheads were unleashed, sending a wave of hundreds of mini missiles towards the waiting Covenant Remnants which were just getting out of their ships to respond to the attack. Missiles pelted the response force along with the ships, thousands of projectiles rained from afar, striking with ferocity and power, overwhelming the ships defences and peppering them with more warheads than they could possibly count.

As the Covenant force was obliterated under the weight of the assault, the infiltrators struck as hard as they could, ships in the docks were rocked with explosions from within. Most were focused to the rear of the ships, demolition charges obliterating controls and destroying a sizeable chunk of their ability to move.

The immediate battle the force committed to was a rush, the first teams had struck without warning cutting their way through the Covenant ranks with horrifying ease, though the Covenant were making quite the effort to keep the Spartans and ODSTs from breaching their defences though. Soon enough, the area became a brilliantly array of lights as lethal fire was exchanged from both sides.

Rail guns and lasers cut through infantry and heavy infantry as the Spartan teams infiltrated the first ships, from outside the battle was raging with fierce intensity as Mark-V ADS units engaged the Covenant fighters and Elites in exoskeleton assault armour. The Mark-V's proved their worth blasting through numerous Covenant armoured units, but even then, the Covenant forces outnumbered the Spartans in a 5 to 1 ratio.

Hence the presence of ODSTs and MSF units in the area to provide additional support, their goal was to ease pressure off the Spartans so they could turn the battle around quickly. So it came to no one's surprise when the Spartans outmanoeuvred the Covenant defences and destroyed them quickly, allowing the ODSTs to press the attack and overwhelm the Covenant troops quickly.

XXXXX

In the brutal melee unfolding amidst the boarding parties, the Spartans under the command of Carson was engaged in subduing the Covenant ranks by the objective 4. The garrisoned troops were prepared and armed thanks to that flare going off prematurely, but regardless, he had no intention of falling behind.

Carson was leading his troop of Spartans and ODST down into the belly of the primary objective, their advance covered by MK-V operators laying down walls of fire as they supressed the point defences of the waiting craft. The bulbous sections were peppered with missiles and rail fire as the troops advanced, marines cutting through infantry in close combat while the Spartans wrecked hell from the flanks.

"Come on, we're breaking through to the ship, don't let up!" He yelled over the com channel.

The overly zealous assault upon the Covenant lines was met by stalwart resistance, but against the combined forces of the Spartan strike force with marines, it wasn't much of a gesture. The fighting was brutal, the marines cut through several ranks of grunts and their jackal phalanx, gouging their way through wave after wave of the Covenant lines, but as they approached the very edge of the ship's starboard entryway they were suddenly bogged down by fire.

Carson who was fighting alongside the first platoon of Spartans on the offensive, he was alerted to his unit's EWAC support unit which called in.  
"Multiple heat sources, they're zealot exoskeletons!"

"What?" Carson exclaimed.

A vanguard of zealots appeared from the barrage, leading a counter attack, dozens of armoured skirmishers along with up armoured grunts wielding plasma weapons and needlers arrived, laying down a staggered wave of attacks. This immediately broke the advance made by Carson's force, the battle suddenly grinding to a bloody halt.

"What the hell?" Carson said while he looked over at the situation.

"Regroup the formation, don't let the bastard's force us back!" He ordered as the marines reformed lines and attempted to slug it out with the gathered Covenant troops. Of course this was compounded by further trouble as the Covenant began to unleash the turrets on the assault force.

"Where's the infiltration teams? Why hasn't the ship's defences been disabled?" He asked as the troops began getting peppered by plasma bolts

"We don't know, they made successful entries, but we're receiving no status updates." The operator reported.

Carson turned back to see the vanguard of zealots now breaking through the lines, being led at the front by a heavily armoured command variant, this one cut through the marines with sickening ease. As the lines began to crumble, Carson issued orders for his Spartans to join in and try to halt the counter attack.

Carson himself took up his EVA specialised suit and got his retinue of specialists together, he watched as the Spartan operators in the Mk-Vs attempted to stop the attack, but they were soon bogged down, leaving open a hole in the formation. This opening allowed for the Covenant commander to rush through with a select group of units.

The lieutenant realised that he and his remaining men were all that remained. He signalled to his retinue and launched his troops into battle against the Covenant elites. Carson took the lead with his assault rifle, sending out bursts of fire against the commander type, his striker leading the attack with a shotgun and grenade launcher, blasting away at the exoskeleton.

But their attacks didn't do as well as they hoped, Carson's subordinate was slain as the elite commander managed to overwhelm him with select strikes, cutting through armour and shields with its dual energy swords. As the dead Spartan drifted out of the way, smouldering from the plasma cuts, Carson was faced with a direct challenge.

In this situation the Spartan rushed forward.  
"I don't think you know who I am, but I'll show you."

He manoeuvred around the Elite using his thrusters, unleashing a hail of fire, but the zealot danced around, managing to minimize the impacts from his attack. But Carson followed up with an RPG shot from his rifle, a 40mm rocket lodging itself into the deck by the zealot, who only had moments to register the explosion.

The zealot commander was thrown clear from the blast, allowing Carson to follow up with his assault rifle pistol, peppering away into the enemy suit, the shields had buckled in a flash of light thanks to the sustained barrage unleashed by Carson. As he came down from above, he closed distance and prepared to lance the weakened armoured sections of the zealot's neck brace, which was the one weak point he could exploit quickly.

But the moment he stepped into reach, he was suddenly met by a plasma blade, this one which had detached from the arm of the zealot's suit, nearly carving into his shoulder. He ducked down to avoid the attack only to come face to face with the zealot who had managed to use the momentary distraction to engage him in close combat.

Carson was unable to respond nearly as quickly as he attempted to drop his rifle and switch over to his combat blades; he only had moments before a plasma sword suddenly embedded itself into his lower abdomen. The searing pain lasted all but moments as the blade was driven upwards and through his torso, leaving a large smouldering cut which gouged his organs.

Carson had only moments to register his mistake and realise that he had underestimated the enemy. As the lieutenant died, the force of Spartans and marines began to collapse into chaos as their commander was eliminated and the ranks of their force was dispersed thanks to this surprise counter offensive.

However this battle wasn't just over yet…

XXXXX

Ray watched patiently his wide angle scope searching for erratic movement of any Covenant unit which might be attempting to flee. So far he had counted a total of 17, each of which he had managed to bring down. His fellow blockers were also doing their part of cleaning up, sniping whatever attempted to make a run from the field.

From his seated position he could only watch as the situation developed disastrously, the battle around the 4th ship docked was turning into a bloodbath, which indicated that an enemy commander had seen through their planned attack and was now making his counter. As bad as this situation was, Ray could only sit back and wait and keep on the perimeter. He had little else to do but wait it out and let the others deal with the clustered Covenant remanent forces.

However his moment of peace was interrupted abruptly, at first he thought it was another straggler trying to make a run for it while the strike force wiped out the survivors. However he found that this particular target wasn't making a run for open space, no instead it seemed quite focused on trying to get deeper into the asteroid field.

"Gallia, do you see that?" He asked the AI.

He didn't need to ask, he knew that Gallia was no doubt monitoring his sensor feeds, keeping him apprised of all kinds of things. "Yes, the unit seems to be searching for something."

"Either that, or the intelligence report we had didn't quite capture every detail. In any case, we should investigate." Gallia stated as they tracked its movements through the asteroid belt.

"Agreed." He concurred as he detached his unit from the asteroid.

He took the MK-V on the trail of the Covenant runner; it wasn't long before he had to operate on lower output in order to mask his approach. Using the MK-V ADS's variable fusion thrusters he managed to make narrow turns and manoeuvres around asteroids, Gallia had made only slight course corrections and provided data on the flight trajectory of his unit through the asteroid belt.

As he travelled throughout the asteroid belt, he couldn't help but wonder where the Elite was going, it was clear that it wasn't heading to escape the field or it would gone straight for open space. And Gallia agreed, the movement of the Covenant ADS unit was clearly not trying to make a hasty escape.

They came upon a large asteroid which had been clearly structured, there was a large gap down the middle of the rock, where a crack split three ways across, it wasn't a normal hiding hole, the size of the gap was far too extensive. And they saw the sudden movement of multiple Covenant units as soon as the ADS got to location.

Ray circled his suit around an asteroid and took up a position overlooking the crevasse where the Covenant units were located. Gallia wasted no time in bringing their sensor array to scan the immediate area.  
"Ray, I'm not getting any positive returns, probably shielded, no wonder we didn't see this place before, they must have been keeping this place a tight knit secret." She mused as she continued to attempt to get as much data upon the installation as possible.

"What about visual sensor?"

Gallia switched to a direct visual sensor input from Ray's eyes; this method was unconventional, but viable, though it did give the Spartan operator a headache from the effects of using their eyes in conjunction with their AI. Ray was prepared for the effect and gave direct feedback using his visual receptors to scan the hidden installation.

"That's a Covenant warship, SDV-class, it looks modified, and there are a lot of Covenant troops rushing around in there…" Gallia said as she picked through all the data she could.

"Gallia, patch me to the 'Nightingale'." Ray said as he looked on with clear concern.

"Nightingale Actual, this is Black Knight 6." Gallia called from their battle network. It took a moment before they received a response.  
"This is Nightingale Actual, what do you have to report?" The admiral asked.

"Sir, I have sights on a hidden Covenant ship, they've got a SDV-Class Corvette, it's been parked in between a pair of asteroids, it seems like they're preparing to escape." Ray reported in.

"Damn it, they had a backup plan like us? Figures. Lieutenant Ray, you have my permission to engage, do not let that ship reach its target destination. And if need be, you are to board the craft and destroy it, using whatever means necessary, do you understand?" Admiral Winters ordered him.

"Understood sir, I'm moving to engage." Ray replied as his MKV ADS pushed off from the anchoring point and moved towards the enemy ship.

Gallia appeared in his HUD, she had a look of concern on her face.  
"So racing into the jaws of the beast are we?"

"You know me." He stated with a sense of determination.

"Yes, the better they are, the crazier they tend to be." She recalled how Alma kept making jokes about Ray's suicidal habit of tackling what many would see as suicidal missions.

That or taking challenges from enemy units as a sign of honour and battling them one on one, thankfully this didn't apply in this situation. Besides he didn't waste too much time with getting bogged down in a duel, and the way the battle was preceding, he needed to punch through fast and eliminate the Covenant warship before it escaped.

He activated his combat interface and braced himself for an undoubtedly rough ride, his body was capable of taking quite a strain, but his mind needed a boost in terms of response. He kicked his suit into gear as he raced across the open space towards them. In response the SDV corvette dispatched its response force, fighters and Elite operated exoskeleton frames exited from hangar bays.

In moments his machine raced towards the incoming remnant machines, there were eight units from his sensors, six seraph fighters and a pair of zealot-class series exoskeletons mounting plasma cannons and pulse plasma rifles. The first and immediate threat which he had to deal with was the Seraphs which opened up with their forward plasma cannons and plasma torpedo launchers.

He immediately took evasive manoeuvres around the spray of vibrant bluish white streaks of super-heated plasma, as he took a twist he brought his M6 Spartan, laser rifle to bear, he held the trigger for a moment before letting loose a ruby red beam of light spear the first Seraph midsection, cutting through its shields and punching a clean hole through the armoured fuselage of the craft.

The Seraph fighter exploded in a burst of red and purplish light before dissipating. Ray didn't have time to bask in the brilliance of his precision kill as the other escort fighters quickly converged upon him, determined to exact revenge for their fallen comrade. The space around him was quickly turned into a hailstorm of plasma bolts and focused plasma blasts, which would have destroyed any other kind of machine, but his unit could handle the withering fire of destruction.

His shields absorbed the brunt of any focused blasts while his secondary shields held off any shots which made it past the bubble shield, his machine made a tight manoeuvre around the enemy fighters, he switched his weapon loadout to a pair of M7-MLA sub assault cannons which he then promptly let loose hundreds of armour piercing tungsten projectiles.

One Seraph had its shields torn to pieces before having part of its left side fuselage ripped open, the pilot managed to manoeuvre out of the way of his gunfire, before its comrades flanked him from both sides. The two craft attempted to pin him with their cannons, and hopefully allow the fully suited warriors finish him off with their plasma cannons.

He predicted the next moves for their attack before switching his SMGs out for a pair of Hydra-Missile pods, he did a quick twist between the two opposing fighter's plasma bursts and let loose a spray of missiles before switching out the missiles for a pair of large calibre 20mm MLA assault cannons, he let loose a tight burst of fire upon the enemy fighters.

As the Seraphs had been too close to manoeuvre out of the way of the missiles, they ended up being slammed by the concentrated burst of HE warheads, though they weren't particularly powerful, they certainly made up for it in terms of numbers. The shields on both craft failed as the missiles blew through their shields away in a blaze of light, allowing the Spartan to spray them in HEAP rounds from his machine guns.

The craft were shredded by the close range rail gun fire, exploding into fireballs and scattering their remains around him, at that moment the Covenant Corvette began to make its escape, breaking free from its hiding spot in the asteroid. Its escort machines decided to leave their posts and begin to openly engage him.

They were there to stall him so the ship could make its attack run on Earth, he sped towards the craft while engaging the Covenant machines, the exoskeletons used by these Elite warriors weren't anything new, but the Covenant did outfit them with new plasma drives to help them intercept UNSC fighters which might try and break through their lines.

The two machines were able to match his own machine's speed, quickly trying to gun him down with plasma fire and a couple of pot shots with their plasma cannons, he managed to dodge the slower plasma cannons, but his bubble shields were almost depleted by the combined fire from their rifles.

He determined the next best course of action was to take the fight to them individually. He sped towards the Corvette once more, drawing the enemy machines in closer; he knew that their zealous actions would draw them into stopping him from attacking their ship. And he was right as they tried to close the distance whilst firing, but to their surprise, he didn't attempt to dodge, he drew them close enough for him to pull off a full 90 degree turn and reverse burn.

His Mk-V did a flip and slammed into the first enemy machine which didn't have time to respond to the sudden physical assault launched by Ray, who took the opportunity to unload one of his assault cannons into the shields of the machine before promptly sticking a combat knife straight through the faceplate of the Elite.

Blood was sprayed across his visor as the Elite's machine decompressed and its blood spilled out of its helmet, satisfied with his kill, he kicked off the dead Elite and did a quick combat acceleration back to the Corvette. As he reached the ship's engines, he switched to his MLRS missile pods and prepared to cut its escape off, but to his surprise the second enemy exoskeleton had taken the opportunity to situate itself under the engines and wait for him to approach.

Once in range, the enemy machine sprayed both of its pulse laser rifles, which damaged the missile pods which had been mounted on his shoulder; he discarded the damaged weapons as they detonated from being breached. The explosion blinded his visual sensors as they activated a glare shield, he tried to turn himself away from the explosion in order to avoid being attacked in this vulnerable state, of course to his luck, the Elite knew how to pin him.

The Elite struck from the point of the blast as it cleared, so his sensors weren't able to immediately detect its movements, the bulbous velvet and azure suited Elite struck at him with tremendous speeds. He barely managed to get his arms up as they were locked in hand to hand. Galira chimed in.

"Our new friend seems quite angry." Gallia noted with a sardonic tone.

"That or he just wants to kill me." Ray replied as he struggled.

Gallia augmented his responses accordingly as they grappled for a moment, he slammed his helmeted head into the Elite's visual receptors and grabbed the Elite around the waist before he kicked his fusion drives into maximum. He knew that this wasn't a particularly good idea; one being the fact that his body wasn't capable of handling sustained gee forces over an extended period of time.

Another drawback was that he couldn't quite see where he was going, as such when he kicked his drives into gear; the Mark-V was thrown around as the Elite attempted to adjust their trajectory, unfortunately for the Elite, those corrections ended up sending them spinning into the Corvette as it reached its jump point.

The two of them went flying into the portside hangar bay of the Corvette; those in the hangar were quite surprised as the two warriors engaged in the brutal melee. Grunts scurried as the two units crashed into the deck and bounced across the hangar floor like a ping pong ball. Ray managed to do a backflip and land on his feet, breaking off their engagement, the Elite on the other hand had to recover since it landed on its side.

Ray lashed out with an immediate kick to the head, hoping to put it down quickly and finish it before this got drawn out any further. He was rewarded with the Elite blocking his strike and countering, it sent a gauntleted fist at him and flung him back. Ray hadn't expected that, but then again, he knew that Elites were good in melee, something which he had experienced a few times before.

The interior of the ship had functioning gravity which meant that they were now on a somewhat more level playing field, as they locked into each other in hand to hand; Ray noticed that the interior of the hangar had been stripped of a lot of things. The ship had been packed with numerous canisters, though these weren't filled with the deadly weapon which the ONI had stated.

No these were just plasma cells, hundreds of large canisters of plasma cells which were charged, and in the middle of the entire hangar was a massive plasma generator, it didn't look particularly active, and possibly it was still charging up. But this did change his priorities somewhat; this ship mustn't have been loaded with the nuclear weapons, instead it seemed the vessel was just a suicide bomb, a very large suicide bomb.

As for the reasons for this change in planning on the part of the Covenant remnants, he wasn't sure, but he didn't have too much time to muse over this current turn of events, his opponent didn't seem too keen on letting him contemplate his current situation. He ducked as the Elite sent a shielded fist at him; he sidestepped and countered with a punch straight to its face.

The two of them began to slug it out in the hangar, throwing punches and kicks with their exoskeletons on; it was a little troublesome since his armour had a bit more armoured plates attached and the assault booster which was hanging on his back. He had to fight with a bit of a handicap, however that said, the Elite wasn't in particularly good shape either which meant that they were matched fairly well.

As they fought it out, Ray managed to force the Elite into the nearby plasma reactor.  
"Gallia, can you access the Covenant's plasma reactor's internal control system?"

"I'm trying, but it's shielded, I can't bypass it." She told him in an urging tone.

"Alright, I'll have to settle for doing this the old fashioned way." He said as he pushed his unit's thrusters to the max.

Gallia was about to object but she knew that it wouldn't do any good, not when Ray acted in urgency. She mused about the potential mishaps of randomly smashing a plasma generator without thinking, but then again, Ray had this strange reputation for surviving the most dangerous scenarios.

He used his momentum and his reflexes to spin himself around to intercept a strike launched by the Elite, his armoured hand caught the Elite's arm in mid-swing. He then proceeded to using his momentum to place his footing forward before using his momentum to throw the Elite backwards; the Elite hadn't expected this sort of move and had been caught off balance and was thrown backward.

The alien tried to regain footing before slamming into the plasma reactor, the armoured being shattered one of the external power regulators according to what Gallia was going over while she examined their surroundings. Gallia was able to provide some insight into their surroundings, but she was also preoccupied trying to help him operate the MK-V.

As he was about to make his move, the ship shuddered, from within the hangar the hangar bays doors allowed him to see that the ship had made the transition into slip-space, their sight of asteroids and gaseous clouds being replaced by a flow of distorted light of decaying exotic particles formed from the event horizon of a slip-space portal. He could tell that there was no other option.

"Gallia, what's the status on the shields?" He called as he recuperated from the impact.

"They're still functioning at 52 percent; they'll be able to work if we need to make a hasty escape into slip-space." She advised him.

"Good I plan to, but not before finishing this." He said as he took up another stance.

"I'm assuming you're going to do 'that'?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes." He said without any hesitation.

"Alright, I'll divert all available power to life support and shields once you're under way, let's finish this then." Gallia said as she let him have control.

He turned to face the Elite who had managed to regain their footing, they stood before him, damaged armour and fractured headpiece, he could see a bit of blood seeping through the fracture of the headpiece. The purple blood of his enemy stained the deck of the ship; the Elite took up a stance and faced him down, ready for one last fight.

"Are you ready?" Gallia asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He told her before he charged forwards.

In an instant the two of them moved, they collided with a great deal of force, sending sparks flying as shields impacted one another, their counteractive fields resulting in brilliant bursts of light. Ray hit with considerable force, causing the Elite to stagger before it sent a kick into his chest.

He was thrown back slightly as his armoured blunted the strike, but it was enough for the Elite to go on the offensive. The Elite activated his energy dagger on the right arm, seeing as the left arm's projector had been damaged by their earlier scuffle, but the shields still worked, the Elite threw precise strikes, which Ray dodged.

He got the Elite close enough where he did a backflip and released the explosive claymore bayonets, the explosive charges caught the Elite by surprise, and before it could jump away, the claymores detonated. The explosion was compressed that specific area of the ship thanks to the function of the bayonets being designed as an anti-armour weapon than a large scale demolition charge.

It was still fairly close as the shields on the MV flared to life from the blast, the heat washed over the suit, but they depleted only a fraction of his shields. It was better for him seeing as he had an opening, the Elite's suit had received the brunt of the blast, and was now smouldering from the damage.

He didn't waste any time, laying in and pounding the Elite with his armoured fists, his first strike slammed into the Elite's right arm sending a bone shattering impact which twisted and broke the armour around the arm of the Elite, no doubt partially liquefying the alien's appendage before it had a chance to understand what happened.

The Elite staggered backwards but not before Ray slammed his knee into its chest plate, his augmented muscles and heavily armoured knee was able to do a number on the crippled Elite's suit. The force of the impact was enough to send the Elite crashing into the deck, at this point, the Spartan took a moment to recuperate as his heart rate had been accelerated for his assault.

Within a few moments he got his heart rate back under control, he then turned his attention to the plasma generator, the controls smashed apart thanks to their fight. He knew that there was another way to deal with this, he grabbed the remaining claymore bayonets and rammed them into the control panel and the primary plasma generator, which would definitely cause a blast when detonated.

He strode off towards the hangar bay's entry; looking out across the pulsing currents of slip-space he positioned himself for a quick departure.  
He told his AI companion.  
"Gallia, shields, prepare for emergency slip-space transition."

"Understood." The AI responded as he made his exit.

As Gallia channelled all available power not required for the primary systems while Ray guided the MK-V to the hangar bay exit, the trouble was that he didn't see the Elite who had managed to get back on its feet. The zealot made one last attack, which Ray wasn't able to see ahead thanks to the large amount of EM radiation burning from the plasma reactor.

Having been badly crippled thanks to Ray beating it to a pulp, the alien grabbed the remnants of one of its weapons and aimed it at the MK-V; it was an anti-armour plasma launcher which one of the Grunts dropped in a panic. The Elite sputtered out phlegm and blood as it groaned in agony to bring the large weapon on the demon.

Of course the alien didn't need to do much; the auto-guidance of the weapon would do the rest of the work, the targeting array activated as it locked onto the armour signature. Charging the weapon, the Elite shouted.  
"For the Great Journey!"

A single guided plasma projectile burst forth, the bluish white bolt of super-heated energy travelled across the hangar within seconds. Ray had little time to react as the bolt managed to impact on the side of his suit's FAST jumper pack; his bubble shield had been switched off to consolidate power to the slip-space booster package, so he could only rely on his primary shield system to protect him from attacks, though they had been largely depleted in preparing for the jump.

Ray was thrown into the swirling abyss of slip-space as the plasma bolt detonated, his shields flared to life to warn him that his unit's shields had taken a direct hit. Of course he knew that his suit was still operational, his link indicated superficial damage from the blast, but his shields were shot and so was the jump pack.

His inertial dampeners were suddenly overloaded as his suit was charged by the burst of plasma; his visual sensors were scrambled from the sensory overload. He attempted to call to Gallia for aid, but his connection to her was severed, he didn't exactly know why, but he suddenly felt alone, his mind trying to reel itself in as his body was tossed around in the currents and eddies of subspace.

Emergency systems began to kick in to protect him as he was thrown into the depths of space and time, of course that said, he knew that it was trying to keep him alive as there was no way to determine what was going to happen next. His suit could be destroyed in the unstable sub dimensional folds of space, or spat out into an unknown region of space, so the suit was trying to preserve his life.

He felt light headed as the unit injected his body with slurry of cryo-gel and sleep drugs, to put him out until he landed somewhere. His last thoughts of what was happening was what the others would do if they didn't find him, was he going to be listed as dead or was he merely lost like many Spartans before him?

'Duty, in grace, honour and valour.' His memories drifted to the creed founded upon the sworn oath they took upon that day.

Ray lost consciousness as his machine was pulled into the oblivion.

XXXXX

Alright I've redone this chapter for the sake of cutting down on volume, hope this will fix some stuff, I've got chapter 1 under rewrite and I've split it off to make it more eligible instead of just a solid wall of text.

I'll add in a lot more to the next chapter so just wait.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Knight Descends…

XXXXX

Date: 09/02/2036  
Location: Pan Pacific Straits, Pinnacle Island – Sempiternal Stratus Academia

The image of a news reporter appeared, this one was gathered with a panel of people sitting around a desk in a pavilion which sat alone atop some kind of structure surrounded by glass and solid stone walls, it had people visibly wandering around outside. These bystanders were attempting to make passing waves and smiles to the camera which was focused on the gathered journalist and co.

"Welcome to another addition of Vice Japan, I'm your host Kojiro Yashmia and I'm here with respective guests, Dr Toshiro of Japan's Institute of Science, Ms Kanuka Tomura of the Shinobashi Industries, and finally Mr Kuro Hayama. Our topic of today is the astounding discovery of the only male in the world who could pilot an IS, Orimura Ichika."

"This is nothing surprising, to be perfectly honest, the random potential for male IS users is unprecedented, as most men don't either bother trying or the fact that it's a time consuming process, and one which the US, Russia, and even China have already attempted without success. There are just too many people to test."

"Yes, this is an issue which was addressed in the past, the scientific community concluded that the number of males who could potentially use IS are massive, nearly somewhere around the stretch of one in seven hundred million."

"If I may intrude, but this young man did beat the odds, shouldn't that mean the potential number of candidates is still viable for males?"

"Yes, but it's much easier to find female pilots who could use IS than digging through hundreds of millions of men to find one viable operator."

"What do you believe will come from the sociological impact of having male operators being able to utilise IS, after these past 20 years of an entirely female dominated profession not to mention speciality. This should have most certainly raised some interest in communities correct?"

Kanuka then replied.  
"It's all dependent on the society in question, the United States has one of the most polarised views towards IS users and having women involved in greater affairs of social and political developments, having a male would most certainly idolise them as long as it suited their agenda. Though this is mostly hypothetical, the communities in the US aren't as black and white so there's the potential for radical change."

"I'd argue that we in Japan should be safer with this handling, despite our long history of misogyny, women are viewed quite favourably by the general community for years now, and with our economic growth it seems to be improving with the social developments brought about by IS."

"There are still fringe groups out in the world which feel that we're giving ourselves far too much influence to women in many fields. I don't think they'd just remain silent over the matter of the male pilot."

"Hopefully there won't be any violence, but they'd definitely attempt to raise a voice to their cause now that they see an opening." The Kojiro stated promptly.

As the debate continued on, the channel suddenly switched, an upbeat music began to play with images of women battling in armoured suits with engines and wings, armoured gauntlets and even wielding weapons of war, as they attempt to beat the other into submission.

"And today's battle reports for inter-class games." A young peppy looking reporter declared as she gestured to the circulating images of each respective battle.

She paused as she brought up the first image.  
"1st year student matches today were between the students of 2-3 and 3-1, between Naomi Watson and her opponent, Shiho Sakura, the international first year facing off against local student pilot in a one on one mock battle." She said as she brought up short clips of the two girls hammering away with swords and guns.

"The battled lasted a grand total of 8 minutes, and saw an astounding victory by Naomi Watson winning 2 of 3."

In a flash the image was shut off as the screen was folded down by a hand, this hand belonging to a certain young man who had lost any particular interest with the topic of local sports, that and his bus had just arrived at his stop. As he stood up, he passed down the alley to the front of the bus and waved his phone over the bus's reader.

As it registered the payment, the man stepped out onto the bus stop area. He winced as his eyes were assaulted by the brightness of the sun, it took him a moment to adjust to the brightness, and he then proceeded to follow the loose cluster of people heading from the bus stop to the fort of the primary complex located on this artificial island.

The Infinite Stratos Academy, though the more formal and proper sounding name for the institution was the 'Sempiternal Stratus Academia.' It was a truly remarkable place to be seeing as it was built as a centrepiece foundation for the island, an island which sat in the middle of Pacific Ocean, home to millions of people, and a major trading hub for international shipping.

This globalised island state was where he was at, and it was where he was expected to remain, at least for the next 3 or so years depending on whether or not he planned to continue his education on the island in university or look for a profession. Yes this was where the raven haired man had been expected to live, far away from his home.

But it was for the best of it, better than ending up a guinea pig for the government or being targeted by the media for the rest of his life, this was the place he would be able to shelter himself in. At least under the supervision of his sister, and an international government that didn't have any sort of plans for him, as far as he knew.

As he entered into the front lobby of the main building, he was greeted by a wall of fresh air as the summer heat was replaced by cool air conditioned air. The scent of pines from fresheners was a welcome sensation. Inside the lobby of the main building, he looked around bewildered by the large structure.

The interior was six storeys tall and had polished marble walls with glass ceiling which stretched up for levels more. Wide metallic support struts crisscrossed between one another, and a large banner hung over the top of the foyer, held in place by posts atop the ceiling. The symbol of the Infinite Stratos upon them, wings and sword crossed with a shield behind them and a woman with helmet, this was reminiscent to the Valkyries of legend or so the academy claimed.

After taking in the grandeur of the lobby, the man headed to the reception, where dozens of people were being served, he found the first one which was free.  
"Hello, I'm looking for enrolments." He said curtly.

"Umm, sir you do realise that this is a female only academy correct?"

"I have my identification here and a letter of recommendation." He said as he provided the papers.

The woman looked at the papers and realised who he was.  
"Ah, you must be Orimura Ichika, my apologies, I haven't had time to familiarise myself with your profile." She said a little embarrassed.

"So where am I to go for enrolments?" He asked the woman.

The woman looked into his papers before telling him. "Your papers are actually completed, and as far as I know you actually just need to register with the front office, I'm sure they'll explain the rest to you. The office you're looking for is the student office, it's the same place as enrolments are, head down to the other side and you'll come straight upon the office, just take a ticket for special inquiries and you should be fine." She informed him.

"Ah thank you." Irchika said as he took the directions from the woman.

In moments the dark haired young man made his way over to the other end of the massive building, passing crowds of people, some visiting families and others just staff, a few were outside visitors coming in for a tour of the academy. He knew from the brochure that the academy was famous for housing the largest buildings in the world, including the famous stadium known as the Maelstrom, which was built to house tens thousands of people in a variable stadium which could be adjusted for various events.

It felt a little odd that he'd be coming into this place to become a student rather than just some tourist. As he walked on, he bumped into someone.

"Ah!" He exclaimed in surprise as he was knocked over.

"Oof!" The woman who he bumped into said.

As he got up, he went to help the woman.  
"Sorry about that."

"Miss!" An older man said as he hurried to help his charge onto their feet.

Ichika got up as the woman did, helped up by and older man wearing a double breast button up suit, he had with him another pair of people, no doubt maids based on their appearance of wearing matching dresses. They dropped what they were carrying and went over to help the girl, who was already getting onto her feet.

"Damn fool, watch where you're going." The girl snapped at him.

Ichika didn't seem to take that particularly well as he defended.  
"I said I was sorry."

"How about you just give way for your betters." She muttered as she was tended by her maids.

"Hmm…" He narrowed his eyes at her.

The girl then looked about to her maids before she looked over to her luggage.  
"Ah! Why did you two drop my luggage onto the ground? I don't want my father's gift ruined!"

"Miss we came to your assistance."

"That doesn't excuse you to leave my belongings like that!" She chastised them.

Her butler stepped in.  
"Miss you must realise that your safety comes well above personal belongings."

"Those items are part of my family history, losing them is just as bad!" She continued to hiss.

XXXXX

Ichika determined that this wasn't worth staying around for, whatever this girl was like; he sincerely hoped she wasn't a student at this academy. He promptly made his exit without bothering to look back, as far as he knew that girl was acting like some kind of stuck up brat, whatever the case, he would need to register with the office.

Stepping into the large wide spaced student office, he found the area relatively busy, with dozens of students lined up at numerous desks, the chairs weren't as packed, but still he had a difficult time locating a chair once he got his ticket for special inquiries. Amazingly he didn't need to wait particularly long; he was called up in five minutes of taking a seat.

Apparently special inquiries got a priority, he was directed to a small cubicle located inside the office, sitting about adjacent to the back of the large student office, it was there he was met by a staff member, a very well dressed one.  
"So you're our special inquiry?"

"Ah yes, Orimura Ichika, I'm the male student being enrolled."

"Oh, I've heard of you, quite impressive being able to pass the preliminary test quickly, your swordsmanship was impressive, though some might have criticised your fluke in managing to trip the examiner over."

"I keep telling everyone it was instinctual."

The woman laughed before continuing.  
"In any case, I'm assuming you've got your paperwork?"

"Yes." He said handing over his documents.

The woman plucked his documents and flipped through records; she got his ID card and then said.  
"Alright, looks like everything is in order, I've got your name on record, and I've got your bank details. The Japanese government has given you special considerations for your enrolment, so you'll be receiving a small allowance granted by your respective government for being enrolled as a representative candidate. That allowance is 20,000 yen a month."

"20,000 yen a month?" He said as he thought over the cost.

"That's a government allowance, mostly for personal things. Though I do admit that isn't a lot, but you're receiving government concessions due to special considerations, I do warn you that these only cover school expenditures and not things outside." The office woman informed him.

"To be perfectly honest I don't go around buying much to begin with."

"Oh well, then you'll just save it up, but mind you, there are means of getting more money, but it's best to seek advice from one of our career advisors or personal financier, not the best idea to randomly go and wing it." She told him.

Ichika wasn't sure about the whole government allowance thing, but seeing as he was still fairly young and having no work experience, it made sense. He did learn that the academy was covering him for medical expenditures and other amenities such as food and school equipment. These things also applied for students, the exception being the coverage only covered things on school grounds not outside.

He wasn't sure if this was good or not, but he went along with it, as he got a map of the campus and a personal tablet which would be used for his day planner and school activities. He was then directed to another person. This was a young woman by the name of Kirti; she was an Indian girl with a short stature, and a rather upbeat personality.

"I'll be your guide today." The dark haired girl with a curt nod.

"I'm in your care." He replied as he stood patiently.

The woman took him along for a walk, their first stop being the student requisitions office.

It was an office where he was able to get his uniform, his older sister had sent his details ahead of him and the office made the necessary adjustments, and got his uniform done within the week of his planned enrolment. They had also gotten his formal wear done as well, a double breasted blazer with a coat for winter.

His sports uniform, and then his swim wear, and winter uniform which was actually meant only for indoor winter sports events as the island never actually experienced winter due to the topical location it was situated in. As he got all of his clothes packed into a duffle bag which the school also provided him, he was given his utilities, including a digital reader which had all of his texts downloaded onto it, and a paperback version which weighed over two kilos.

He couldn't help but feel encumbered by the staggering amount of items he had to carry, but carry them he did; he was beginning to wish he had brushed up on his PT now. Kirti was able to help him alleviate the amount of baggage he was carrying, and continued on their planned tour of the academy.

"So where are we going now?"

"This is the student gyms and sports venues; there we have the school swimming pool, which I'm sure you could tell from the large aquatic sign nearby." She gestured to the large blue tear drop shaped sign sitting above on a pillar.

"Next up is the general fitness gyms for regular PT work for students, there's nothing special here, just the regular gym, it operates 24/7 hours a day, though not during public holidays and during certain events. The facilities are quite well stocked and have personal trainers from across the globe; students looking to exercise with the support of these personal trainers will unfortunately have to pay for their services though."

"I thought they were for all students."

"No that's just the regular supervisors and attendants." She informed him.

As they moved along, they passed a large soccer field, which could double as a football field, though most girls weren't as interested in such sports, it was available. Lacrosse teams were also present; the one thing which stood out was the presence of what looked like a group of girls riding on horses.

"Umm are those girls wielding lances?"

"Ah, right, the local equestrian clubs, they have a few specialties which were granted permission by the student president, after the formation of the first riding clubs, a few wanted to invest in creating a specialised sport called jousting, for skilled students who have aptitude in melee combat."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, martial clubs do exist within the academy, seeing as we do train a wide variety of Infinite Stratos operators, they didn't have any objection, as melee users actually do have lances, or at least that's with the European teams and their machines. As for Japanese teams they're more used to wielding long naginatas, though they opted to use lances as well." She explained.

Ichika couldn't help but wonder how many activities were being undertaken at the academy, seeing lances smashing into armour; the riders shrugged off the impact or managed to nail the other. The whole show was pretty impressive, more so than watching kendo that was for sure. Though this only raised more questions in his head.

"Umm Kirti, do these clubs also have special venues?"

"For the jousting club? Yes, they have a special place to host games for public spectacles, though this is more of a season event. In most cases they're just training."

The two went by the rest of the sports venues for obvious reasons, mainly because the fields and area combined stretched for some fifty miles in all directions, and the fact that there were reservation areas which were meant for private students. Ichika couldn't help but wonder why there were private venues at all, considering the island was supposed to be operated by a unified governing body from around the world.

Then again Ichika's understanding of politics was lacklustre so it didn't really matter to him. The duo eventually made their way through to the various school buildings, starting with the regular educational halls, grammar, mathematics, and science. The core curriculum for virtually all students, there was also plenty of separate buildings which specialised in their own topics.

History classes had their own building; the drama class had an entire hall dedicated to the education and the maturation of great artists in the field of drama. The next building was the biology department and the surprisingly shaped structure which housed it all, considering that it was a building shaped like a silo with numerous stilt towers which had vines and plants growing throughout them.

They then made their way over to the academy lunch hall or what you could call a food arcade of sorts, the area was a large building which had multiple levels, the primary being a general food hall, with indoor seating and many types of shops. He didn't get a good look at all of it, but he was told that the top building was actually consisted of upper class dining for the private students and officials.

As they completed their overview of the area they wound up in the academy's residential housing district, which had rows of slanted apartment buildings which ran along parallel to one another. This of course was the housing for the upper class students and those who could afford the luxury. The next were the underclass student housing which was just regular looking apartments.

The private living areas of the academy were dormitories which had their own pools and small parks; there was also the fact that each dormitory was a small townhouse with two floors. Most had also places of residence for their servants and butlers, with large general accommodations lying around the perimeter.

A few on the other hand had what might be considered utterly opulent; essentially they lived in private manors, which had accommodation for the student plus their attending servants. This seemed well and truly beyond the expectations that Ichika had expected from students of wealthy families, but this was actually applied to children of government officials and so forth.

'Wow that's excessive.' He thought promptly while he looked at all of it.

"And here's your place of residence." Kirti said as she brought him to his apartment.

It was the first building for upper class students, with a reserved room located on the second floor, as they entered into it, Ichika set his things down. He then took a moment to notice that the place he was residing in was apparently unoccupied as of yet besides him.

"Umm, is there someone sharing this apartment with me?"

"Ah yes, the upper class residential areas are meant for one or more occupants, and with the given space there was more than plenty room, so the academy agreed upon increased accommodation."

"That's not the issue; I'm asking who's sharing this room with me." He reiterated his statement.

"Oh, I wouldn't know that, if the room is unoccupied it would likely mean that student hasn't arrived yet or they're being selected as we speak. You'll have to speak with someone in administration, or housing about that after class thought." She informed him in a curt fashion.

"Wait what?" Ichika then picked out something from her statement.

"Sorry I should have mentioned that today's the first day for your classes, you should get a move along." The attendant said to him cheerfully.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ichika exclaimed in utter horror as he realised the predicament he found himself in.

Ichika found himself wondering how much of a rush he found himself within, Kirti departed with a wave and a good luck before leaving Ichika to quickly unpack his uniform and his bags. He got his uniform up in a hurry, with his pants nearly getting caught half way. It took five minutes but he got dressed fast enough.

He rushed an exit from his apartment and took the elevator to the ground floor before he checked his tablet for guidance on where he had to go. He ended up running over to the homerooms located by the student office. The academy wanted to simplify finding students so they made the student homerooms situated close to the primary facilities so they could be accessed by everyone.

Ichika managed to make it to his class just in time, just as the school bell rung; he managed to get in through the front door. The young man was almost out of breath when he stumbled into class, taking a seat by the front, it took a few minutes of recovering from his morning sprint that he noticed something was off.

'Is my entire class just girls?' He thought as he felt the eyes of his classmates staring daggers into the back of his head.

'Oh boy…' He thought as he waited for class to begin.

XXXXX

Ichika's time in class ticked forward, he knew that there were all kinds of looks being given in from behind, the girls of his class all looking at him as if he was some sort of stray animal that had wandered into the room. Some held him with fascination, others disdain and some merely shrugged and didn't honestly care.

To the left side of the room, his old friend Houki sat patiently, aloof of his presence, giving him a cold shoulder, something which he couldn't help but feel a little bummed about, this wasn't shaping up to be the start of a good year. As he sighed, he suddenly heard his name.

"Orimura Ichika!"

"Ah yes!" He responded as he lifted his head up from his desk.

Miss Yamada Maya was the homeroom teacher/assistant. She had a holographic display for his name set up as she asked him.  
"Could you please come forward and present yourself?"

"Oh, of course." He said promptly exiting his seat in a risqué pace before he faced his classmates.

"Umm, I'm Orimura Ichika, nice to meet you."

When the girls continued to look at him, he felt as though they were expecting more, but he wasn't sure what to say.  
"Umm that's all?"

A few girls looked as if they were expecting more, but the overdramatised students simply banged their heads against the tables at his introduction, as he clearly missed the point.  
"Umm is there anything else you'd like to add Ichika?" Maya attempted to rectify his mishap.

"Umm…" He cleared his throat before continuing. "I'm Japanese born, from the Miyazaki province, I had completed primary education with above average grades in some areas, and I've played sports like soccer and baseball."

"Umm what about other kinds of hobbies? Like reading or games?" Maya continued to prod.

"I don't have really any hobbies besides some light novels, I do play games, but only on my portable computer, and I don't have much of an interest in other fields."

The introduction he made still didn't seem to get a lot of interest besides a few students, it was then someone called over to him.  
"Is that really the best you could do on your first day?"

Ichika turned to see his sister standing in the doorway with tablet and books in hand; she was shaking her head at his introduction to his class. He then said with surprise.  
"Older sis?"

He didn't get much further as he was suddenly smacked on the top of the head by a book, his sister having slammed it into his face.  
"That's Miss Orimura to you when you're in school time, now take a seat." She said to him.

"Of course Ms Orimura." He said as he grasped his face and sat down.

The stinging sensation of getting smacked in the head lingered for a while as his sister stood in front of the class.  
"Alright, homeroom is now in session. I'm your homeroom teacher for this year, for those of you that haven't had me before, I am Orimura Chifuyu, or Chifuyu Orimura for others, I will be your home room teacher and likely teacher for a few other classes including student training instructor for use of Infinite Stratos units."

The girls in the class muttered in excited talk as their instructor, a few remained passive and others seemed disheartened at this revelation, mainly because they knew that Chifuyu was tough as a teacher, with her standards and expectations set higher than most. But this was only the beginning of their year, so it was hard to say what they were in for.

Orientation in class went on fairly quickly, with a rapid overview of their expected course outline and what they were expected to deal with in the coming weeks, the short history of the academy and the nature of the academy itself and what they were expecting from students. Ichika had to deal with his shortcoming of forgetting to read the preparatory files for the academy so he wasn't sure in what to expect in regards to the Student Council, and the function of the private students.

'I didn't realise that there was so much going on in this academy…' He thought as he racked his brain over the amount of units he would have to learn.

As the orientation was completed, he was met by his old friend Houki Shinonono, the girl who had attended primary education with him, their lives took a turn when her parents moved to the island years ago, the strange thing was that her family was given an official title by the new Japanese government, as an extension to the Japanese Imperial Family.

Houki wasn't as thrilled with this because of the status and propriety protocols she had to follow with such a status, because it wasn't just social, but political as well. As the two of them left the room, Houki was attended to by one woman, who was dressed differently than all the students, she was likely the head maid given priority to guard and attend to Houki's needs.

From what he could tell the maid didn't particularly seem comfortable with him, either that or they had scepticism for everyone who'd associate themselves with Houki, he wasn't sure, but he didn't say anything to the maid after he got her name. Her name was Tamai Asaji, a woman who from her appearance was quite well endowed and held herself prominently, and kept a distance from him.

They both went to the rooftop of the block, which was fairly barren despite recess having been called, no doubt something arranged by Houki's maid. Houki dismissed her maid before gesturing over to him. He walked alongside her as they walked over to the rooftop's small garden which overlooked the academy.

Ichika stood next to her, observing the academy square below, where many students were playing around or eating lunch, the sounds of gossip and activity echoed around them, along with the distant whisper of the summer wind. Ichika began first.  
"So, Houki, it's been six years hasn't it?"

The tall brown haired girl glanced at him before she responded with a nod.  
"Yes, it's been six years."

"Has it really been that long?"

"Apparently." Ichika commented as he smiled.

Houki noticed his expression and blushed before she began to fidget with her hair. Ichika then continued on.  
"It's good to see you again Houki."

The young woman turned to see him with his smile still there, the mood between them lifted.  
"Yeah, it's been took long." She replied slightly nervous.

Houki wasn't sure about how to approach this, seeing as how they hadn't spoken in years, besides a few sporadic correspondents from years back. Ichikia then asked.  
"I noticed you had won the completion in the Academy's International Kendo Tournament, how's kendo been?"

"Umm, good, I've had plenty of time to practice and there's a lot of competition in the academy."

"That's good to hear."

"Umm do you still do kendo?"

"Huh? Oh, not in a while, I've been more focused on general fitness, I've mostly been doing studies for the academy, and I haven't had a lot of time to do kendo in my free time." He lied.

Reality was that he lost interest, well not all of it, he'd been more focused on keeping himself fed and cleaning up the house he and his sister lived at, most of his days were focused on other things though like games and reading manga. He knew that Houki would probably scold him over his lack of diligence if he mentioned it though.

"I see…" The girl replied.

"It's alright though, if I decide to pick it up again, I'll be certain to get your help in it." He said to reassure the girl; he knew that things like this tended to weigh into her opinions a lot.

The girl seemed to brighten up at the statement, clearly happy that he was willing to indulge in their old childhood hobby/activity. Ichika knew that he had slumped off somewhere, that and he needed to learn martial abilities if he had any hope of staying in a competitive field here at the academy, seeing as they were being trained in the use of mechanised frames meant for military use, sort of.

Another troublesome issue was that he wasn't a good marksman, a fact punctuated by his spectacular screw up during the entrance exam where his rifle nearly hit the instructor instead of the target. That incident was a bit of a black mark against him, but he had to bear with it, despite how much he disliked it.

After this, they both returned back to their classroom, engaging in idle talk about life at the academy, well sort of. Ichika of course didn't know of the watchful eyes of a certain girl sitting atop a building, her scope carefully focused on the man, of course this was a story for another day.

XXXXX

Ichika went about his day, learning about as much as one would expect in high school, though he was given an introduction into the school's curriculum surrounding the selective study field. He could take up an elective study in a certain field he was interested in as long as he was suited for such an education.

He was given a rundown of all sorts of areas he could apply himself in, but hadn't made a decision, so far he was considering taking up kendo, but then again the appeal didn't quite exist as it used to. There was always the option to look into other activities such as sports like soccer, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go with the regular training schedules.

Research programs did exist so he had that option, whether or not he wanted to really do those kinds of activities was the trouble as they were tedious in most cases at least for those who did them; sitting around just reading and researching fields of specialties required an advanced understanding of said field which could be problematic.

But then he came upon something of interest, cooking, his area of specialty back home, doing regular cooking classes would most certainly suit his field. Seeing as he had to live with his sister at times and having to take care of himself, he had been quite self-sufficient in staying alive, so he had no complaints.

As he finished his selective course decision, they finally had lunch time recess, which was the period in which he had hoped to go with Houki down to the large dining area in the academy. The two of them spent time again, though the topic of discussion Ichika had trailed off onto more casual topics of recent events in the academy or abroad throughout the globe.

Amidst the cacophony of the academy's dining court, the two of them managed to find a spot to sit at, or more specifically Houki's maid had found a suitable location for them. A nice spot which overlooked the front court of the academy, where many students were quick to take up due to the warm weather and relatively wide space, which meant no one was crowding their seating areas.

Ichika wasn't sure about what he wanted to eat, so Houki asked her maid to fetch them a suitable early afternoon lunch from the main cafeteria rather than a specific brand or restaurant. This request was easy enough, though the maid came back fairly quickly with their lunches, something of which he hadn't been quite expecting.

"The academy has a first serve protocol; however in regards to students with certain standings like government official spots like mine, or representative in yours, we have a priority." Houki explained.

"Isn't that considered favouritism?" Ichika inquired genuinely perplexed by such a protocol.

"In a way it is, though some people consider it an accepted responsibility, those who hold power after all. It's something you'll have to get used to, because the academy does pride itself on the status of power." Houki said dismissively before adding. "I've gotten used to it."

"Is this really okay?" Ichikia said a little unsure as to how he should feel about this.

Truthfully this didn't seem to have anyone being hurt, but it did seem a little slack for people of political and economic connections to be shown favour over those who didn't. Ichika reserved his feelings on the topic for a later time; he focused on eating lunch and then getting back to class to finish up the afternoon sessions.

However he didn't really imagine the trouble which came across when he took his spot in class. The afternoon sessions weren't more than mostly introductions and revision work for students going over previous topics, well aside from one topic which Ichika hadn't experienced before, but he was trying to catch up.

During the brief break in the afternoon, he noticed someone walking over to him, at first he didn't pay attention mainly because he was calculating the effects of weather upon an IS frame. His conclusion was at best, a squiggly page of words and lines, but as he continued to scratch out lines, he noticed the person stopping at his desk.

"Ahem." The girl sounded as she drew his attention.

"Huh?" He turned his head sideways to look at the girl standing before him.

"What's with that sort of response? Don't you know how to address someone properly?"

"I'm sorry what?" Ichika said perplexed as he wondered where this girl was literally coming from.

The girl feigned a look of exasperation, his response apparently taken in offence.  
"Are you that dense, I am Cecilia Alcott, of the Alcott Estate England, I would have expected someone of your 'status' would have been informed of the systematic hierarchy in which the academy is built upon, correct?"

"No, I just got here, so I honestly don't know who you are." Ichika replied honestly.

Cecilia didn't seem to take this particularly well, she looked as if she had swallowed something bitter, and she then began.  
"I am the representative from England, more specifically the sixth representative student of the Albion Dominion, Order of the White Rose, prefect, I'm sure you've heard of our class correct?" She asked with an air of superiority hanging around her.

There was an awkward pause in which the girl noticed that Ichika didn't respond to her, she then noticed Ichika staring blankly at her before he asked.  
"You're the prefect of what?"

Cecilia stood there her mouth agape at the response, as though the man had gone and spouted another head. She recovered promptly before she furiously slammed her palm onto Ichika's desk and exclaimed.  
"Are you serious? You don't even know that, how dense are you? We're talking about the Knightly Orders of Albion, we're on the covers of magazines, and on the news at times, how are you so blindly unaware of our existence?"

"I don't watch the news often, and I don't buy magazines, and most articles I read are usually local or national."

The girls in the classroom had their attention piqued at the scene unfolding before them, most were very clearly unimpressed about the lack of context the young man of their class had, it was like he had completely ignored a lot of the academy's profile and history off the bat. Ichika sat there while Cecilia eyed him with contempt.

"I don't even know how to explain this anymore…" She said while she rubbed her temple. "You're a walking disaster waiting to happen to this academy if you can't even figure out the political ranking system of the students, or your own position in this mess. How you ever managed to become a IS pilot I don't know, but you're going to end up in a lot of trouble without any support if you keep going like that." She said before the bell rang.

"This isn't over, and make sure you know that, one way or another you'll see how unforgiving your wilful ignorance will get punished in this place." She muttered ominously before leaving him.

Ichika didn't understand what she meant by those particular words before she left him, he was truly confused as to what those words meant but he never got the chance as their class began, Chifuyu returning to the front to give them a lecture on the theory regarding the technical layout of IS.

The young man clearly didn't know what was going on at the academy, but something felt off, as the class continued, he felt alarmingly isolated. Despite Houki and his sister being here and a few girls who seemed to hold some interest, he realised they were all but a small number of people out of the many thousands at the academy, and he had little experience with the rest.

This nagging feeling would continue to perturb the young man, but for the time being, he was content to participate with the rest of the class, unaware of how right Cecilia's words were. In the grand scheme of things, Ichika had little idea of how much more complicated things were behind the scene.

His position was secured by his sister, and his close friend was able to keep a close eye out, no doubt there were sympathisers to his situation, but not everyone was fond of him, and more than a few saw another obstacle to overcome. Ichika had no idea that despite his escape from the real world politics of the outside world, he was now thrust into the politics mired in the academy, whether he wanted to be or not.

XXXXX

Later that evening in the teacher's office, Orimura Chifuyu was going over the daily workload accumulated from the classes she was given responsibility over. Her office cubicle was a modestly sized area which held a small locker for personal use, it wasn't particularly cramped, but it had little to look at besides the various items of use, from papers, filing spaces and the overhanging cabinet.

It was a somewhat packed area, normally you'd see from a busy office cubicle at some sort of company not what you'd expect from a highly advanced academy for worldwide students, and the flow of paperwork and utilities seemed quite hefty. But this was just Orimura's work space, an unfortunate habit which the raven haired teacher seemed to have possessed.

Chifuyu was always seen as a little backwards by the standards of some teachers and faculty members, relying more on physical paperwork and tangible items rather than utilising more advanced equipment and digital storage methods. But alas, this was one concession the teacher was willing to make out of most of her duties. The principal allowed this as it wasn't disruptive, but it did need a lot of care to tend to the haphazard office space.

Chifuyu was rather comfortable working in this confined space, it was a rather familiar environment which she had spent years working as one of the faculty at the academy, and it was also due to habit. Her occupation in the past resulting of her needing to deal with paperwork seemed to linger with her despite it being unnecessary.

Chifuyu had spent the last day going over a few details regarding a certain knuckleheaded idiot who had managed to get himself into class barely on time and apparently gotten himself into a confrontation with one of the junior representatives of England, though it wasn't that bad, she still felt that he needed to get himself sorted out. She was keen to see how well he'd adjust to life at the academy, amidst all the politicking and social classism. He was safe with the aid of his old friend and acquaintance, but she knew it wasn't enough.

The tragedy of this situation was that it was a compromise reached upon by the powers that be, willing to allow him to live in neutral ground, until he was old enough, he would remain at the academy, where everyone could keep their eyes on him. This was compounded by the fact that there had been apparent plot to abduct Ichika which the Public Safety Bureau only stopped at the last minute.

It was all so tiring, but she knew it had to be dealt with, if that meant moving him somewhere he'd be under constant surveillance then she couldn't deny it, pressure from the other governments had forced Japan into a corner, and she knew it was already difficult with the fact that Japan produced the largest number of IS in the world on top of having now the only male IS operator.

She paused as she rubbed her temples, the genial lifestyle which she had strived for at this academy was effectively gone, not like it had existed before she arrived, with all the cutthroat politics between nations and corporate groups. Let's not forget the social strata of the academy being a rather grating reoccurring issue.

It was the reality of her situation, with her brother here now, she had to work more so to keep him from getting wrapped into the worst kinds of situations, mostly those involving him getting forced into a corner where he would be subject to scrutiny by the governing body of the academy and by extension the governments which supported it.

As she continued to work on her paperwork, mostly signing off on requisition forms for the campus grounds, the time slots for their planned training sessions and so forth, she sighed. Inwardly she knew that this was going to be stressful, protecting her brother was now a fulltime job, adding with the fact that there was a number of potential factors to play didn't help.

After signing off on the form, she noticed her office door open, a short woman with green hair and creamy yellow sundress stood looking expectantly as she entered. Chifuyu greeted the woman.  
"Maya, what is it?" She asked her friend.

The green haired teacher let out a light giggle as she replied.  
"You look quite busy, have you finished up on the paperwork?"

"Just about, I signed off on almost everything besides that self-assured proposal for class representative from that idiot with the blonde hair." She said disapprovingly with a shake of her head.

"Oh, that reminds me, I was going to give you the report for a new transfer student arriving." Maya said as she produced a file.

"Another transfer?" The raven haired teacher said sceptically.

"Yes, the Dunois Corporation had been quite insistent of sending him to us." Maya explained as she brought up the file.

"Another male IS pilot?" Orimura said surmised with a raised brow of suspicion.

"They claim that he is a capable pilot." The green haired woman said promptly.

"Why haven't they come out of the closet about this beforehand?" Chifuyu inquired as she looked through the profile.

"I'm not sure, the representative of Dunois wanted this under wraps due to the sensitivity of the pilot's relation to their CEO. At least that is what they claimed." Maya said ponderously.

Chifuyu looked at the profile given by Maya, she was intrigued by how feminine this male pilot looked, but what caught her attention was the name.  
"Charles Dunois."

"That's the son." Maya acknowledged.

"And they would like for him to attend here as a representative candidate? Not a private student?" Orimura inquired with a sceptical look.

"Yes, they feel it would be best for Charles to acquaint himself with Orimura since they were in the same boat. The French government has officialised the documents and his registration as a student." Maya stated the given reason.

Orimura knew that this was probably a load of crock, the need to shove Ichika in with another male student whilst asking to keep the matter subdued was an obvious lie. "As much as I question the sudden nature of this sudden transfer, I have no objections. Besides it wouldn't hurt to have someone who can relate to Ichika now would it?" The raven haired teacher said whilst thinking over what the French government thought it could try getting away with.

She knew that Charles was probably a lot more than some male pilot of such a family of Dunois, she suspected that there was more to it than that, but whatever surprises this new pilot happens to, she was sure that her little brother would be able to handle having this new partner. As she signed the forms for the transfer, she asked Maya.

"Do you look forward to the new transfer?"

"Of course, greeting every new face into the class is something I look forward to." Maya chirped happily.

"I'd like to imagine that you mean that in a more-."  
The two of them were interrupted as an alarm was set off.

"What's going on now?" Chifuyu looked around as the faculty office became a buzz of activity.

The two teachers exited from the office, they found the academy staff room was a buzz of activity, the academy instructors were rushing to emergency response stations. Orimura called over to one of the instructors running past.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Ma'am, there's something coming from high altitude, its fast whatever it is, and it's on a collision course for the academy grounds." The teacher replied in a hurry.

The raven haired teacher looked around, things were certainly getting busy these days, first her brother, and then the transfer students recommendation, and now this. It seemed as though the peace and quiet of the academy was gradually evaporating by the minutes. Not like she could complain, it was always hectic every year.

In any case, it was merely time to see what this new fresh hell was about. As she and the other teachers hurried out onto the academy grounds, they were quick to examine the sky above, a squad of security operators in IS had already sortied, though they were staying low, mostly because they weren't sure if they could stop the object's descent and they didn't want to get themselves killed if the object exceeded their shielding capabilities.

Chifuyu observed the incoming object with her eyes, at the distance it was coming in at, she guessed that it wasn't that large, probably easier to contain if it crashed into the ocean, but she doubted that they could really change it since it was this close to the academy's airspace. She was surprised that the early warning system only picked it up this close though, normally the island's security force would have scrambled once they saw its approach.

'Either they were suffering some kind of malfunction or they didn't see this either.' She thought as she saw the object coming down.

She then followed Maya to the ad hoc situation room in the faculty office, it was the security station tied into the primary network. Maya had clearance along with all senior staff who worked at the academy, though she and Maya had special clearance to participate when an emergency occurred, along with a few other teachers privy to special security clearance.

"Where's the predicted landing zone?" She asked as they checked the monitors.

"Right in the grounds, a mile into the training arena." The operator reported.

"At least no one's out there for tonight." Orimura sensei mused as she watched the staff rush to get to prepare for the impact.

The fireball roared as it came overhead, a blinding streak of fire came down fast, and the teachers watched it as it touched down. A resounding crash was heard as it landed followed by the shockwave of the impact, which sent the academy into high alert. The academy's private garrison of pilots were quick to begin deploying, security forces would no doubt go to contain the impact site and begin lockdown procedures.

XXXXX

A short time later…

The crash from the falling object had left a sizeable hole in the campus's arena, the crater smouldered from the impact, dust and smoke kicked up by the object's entry had yet to dissipate when the teachers and the emergency response teams arrived. Orimura was one of the first teacher on the scene with a team of senior staff in IS bringing in firefighting equipment to support the emergency crews; they hosed the area down with water and flame retardants.

It didn't take them long to put out the fire from the crash, but the heat from the crater was still stifling for people to stand too close to, Maya arrived shortly afterwards with medical staff as they began to look for the object that had fallen. The raven haired Chifuyu looked through the steam as the recovery teams began to light the area up with flashlights.

She could tell something was there, something big enough to leave this crater, and she could tell it was human. Two recovery units in full IS flew down into the crater and cleared away some of the steam, it took them a few moments to report in.

"We've found the object... It's unbelievable." One of the teachers reported in surprised at whatever was there.

"What is it?" Orimura had already suspected a few possibilities.

"It's an IS, its sitting in the crater." The recovery unit reported.

"Is that what landed in the arena?" Maya said in uncertainty.

"Looks like it." Orimura sensei said while she examined the details.

"Ma'am what should we do?" The recovery unit inquired.

"We wait, the temperature in the crater is still too hot, trying to remove the IS from the crater now would be troublesome, pull back until temperatures drop." She ordered.

"What about the pilot?" The staff asked.

"If they're fully encased they're probably safe inside, assuming that whoever made the suit thought up about re-entry, in any event we'll find out soon enough."

"Right." The rescue operators said as the pulled out of the steaming crater.

"Are you sure that this is alright?" Maya asked with concern.

"It's not like we have much of an option. And seeing as how that suit is still intact, there's no point in worrying about it now. If the pilot's still alive we'll know later."

Orimura-sensei had a feeling that she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight, this was shaping up to be one hell of a year for her. Then again, she would prefer this over the constant dull repetition of just teaching a bunch of girls the value of education and combat through the use of IS frames.

XXXXX

Elsewhere…

It was evening and most of the students had retreated to their respective places of residence, of course there were a few who opted to stay out longer at night, either for the occasional nightly get together, walk in the park, or those who went down to the city. For those who didn't know, the academy's had access to taxi's, from simple sedans to expensive black lacquer coloured limo's with tinted glass.

Most academy students in any case chose the use of regular taxi services to go and enjoy themselves in the city, most going clubbing or to dine at restaurants of their taste. Mostly because they either had money to burn, wanted to impress upon their social standing with their compatriots or to merely indulge themselves whenever they saw opportunity, in either case, it was a very active time.

Of course there were more activities besides going to restaurants and clubs, the more exotic or pervasive aspects of the nightlife were readily available to any and all, who were willing to pay. As for those back at the academy, this was more or less just time to get down and relax, or to find some time to engorge in further studies and extra curriculum.

In the case of Ichkia, this was more or less about him avoiding getting brained by his new roommate who apparently had bone to pick with him over their cohabitation. The raven haired young man dodged a swipe from the hardened resin shinai which nearly brained him, leaping to the side as a very annoyed looking Houki lashed out at him.

"Pervert, pervert, PERVERT!" The girl yelled repeatedly as she unleashed a hailstorm of attacks.

Ichika did his utmost to avoid getting his ass pelted by the clearly perturbed Houki who was wearing nothing besides a nightgown with underwear, having just finished a shower less than a minute ago, she apparently took offence to the fact that Ichika had been bunked with her, and more to the point, he had seen her in her underwear. Her whitish pink frilly laced underwear…

In any event, Ichika explained as best as he could, or worst considering he had changed out of his shirt and was now topless when he saw Houki, trying to explain that he didn't ask for them to be given the same room. As to whether or not that was a good idea was debatable as he also made comment on her bust size and underwear in the exasperated explanation.

This effectively incriminated Ichika as a pervert in the eyes of the woman who then proceeded to try and beat some sense into him for accidently observing her half naked. As he jumped aside from another attack, he tripped backwards and through the door to their room and into the corridor, where other girls were milling about.

Most were quite shocked to see Ichika suddenly burst out of the room in only his pants, but they were more surprised to see Houki pop out and chase after Ichika with a shinai and then expertly lob it at him as he ran. All of this happened in the time span in which Houki's maid went off to grab some dinner and tea.

XXXXX

Meanwhile…

In the academy's security wing, far from the prying eyes of students and most faculty, below the academy grounds underneath a large hangar bay which looked like it'd be used for storing machines, the crashed machine was taken into the underground storage facility intended to hold all sorts of things, from prototype units to large replacement parts and even weapons.

This was the most suitable location for keeping the unknown black armour plated machine from nowhere. A team of engineers and guards had been assembled with the approval of the principal who had issued directives to keep things under wraps, at that moment; the team assigned were doing their utmost to figure out what had landed in their backyard.

Chifuyu, having special clearance with Maya, was tasked with helping the team to recover what they could to determine the origins of the strange machine. A task not particularly easy, given the unknown materials it was made of and they had absolutely no idea who had made the thing, regardless, they tried.

"What is this thing made of?" An engineer huffed as their torch failed to cut through the armour.

"Who knows, we've taken saws, hammers, a bloody plasma cutter and a pressure drill, and still nothing." Another engineer commented with a sigh.

"Looks like an IS, but bigger, I've never seen a design like this." One technician reported as she worked on trying to analyse the structure.

"Do you think this was sent by Phantom Pain?"

"No, this doesn't look like anything they'd make, suit's big, and it doesn't look autonomous, it looks like a pilot operated machine." Chifuyu said as she looked over the large machine.

"A manned unit, surviving an uncontrolled re-entry from Earth's orbit?"

"Remarkable no?" Orimura said as she looked at the large golden visored helmet.

The suit stood above her by double her height, its blackened armour still as dark as it was before, minus the burn marks and dirt accumulated from the entry. The hulking machine stood a good 12 feet in terms of height, wider than a man and had thick plates you'd see on a tank than an IS. Not as though there weren't IS which had thick armoured plates, but this unit had them from all around.

As she eyed the visor, she noticed something from the corner of her eye; it looked like a spark of light, emanating from a corner of the machine. Whatever it was, it disappeared as quickly as it had come, only raising further questions, but as she flicked her attention away, she then heard someone exclaim.

"Hey something's happening."

Everyone's attention was now on the machine as they noticed a slight shudder from the machine; Chifuyu stepped back quickly behind the picket of armed guards.

"I'm detecting a power spike." The technician reported as the suit's body shuddered.

The gathered personnel stepped back as the large black suit began to hiss, a whirring noise emanated from parts of the machine as joints groaned, it seemed as though the machine was opening up, this indicated by the sections of armour which were now retracting into parts of the body, exposing the intricate internal components.

As the suit's chest plate came down, steam hissed in all direction, obscuring their view, the helmet which adorned the suit, suddenly retracted upwards, revealing the face of the person underneath. A man, a tall black haired young man, laid there, his eyes closed and his body covered in a type of skin tight suit.

"That's certainly new." A technician muttered absently as the gathered personnel stared at the man.

Chifuyu stepped forward, eyeing the unconscious man; her eyes flicking to his body, the small emblem adorned his chest, an eagle with a trio of arrows and a wreath. Whoever this was, he was certainly not from around anywhere here.

"Get a stretcher, and prepare an AICU, we need answers." She said determinately.

XXXXX

Cortex Archive: Infinite Stratos

Infinite Stratos, the name bestowed upon the mechanised exoskeleton frame, first developed originally for the purpose of aerospace engineering and space exploration, a program which is still being undertaken. The Infinite Stratos are unique type of technological marvel, created and developed by the scientist Tabane Shinonono and her Inner Circle of fellow scientists.

The IS which was developed by Tabane Shinonono was designed with a wide variety of advanced features, the most notable being the strange ability to utilise quantum entanglement systems, such as light mass fabrication, or matter energy conversion technology. Essentially the machine would be able to form through the use of light to matter reconstitution, not an easy feat.

This was all in thanks to the interface system and the core, the IS core or soul, is an integral part of the unit, being the core component which actually allows for the process of light to matter conversion and also imbuing the IS with a functioning template by which a frame could be expanded upon.

There are a total of 24,673 Infinite Stratos within the world, these machines are split between all first world countries which are a part of the UN as well as based upon the strength of the nation's military industrial capacity. This was mostly to ensure balance between the first world nations of the world and also to ensure that such highly powerful machines did not end up within the hands of any anti-establishmentarian organisation or terrorist network.

In the last few years the various nations within the worlds have been attempting to unlock the secret of the IS with little to no success, the sheer complexity of the creations of the IS cores goes beyond the understanding of many scientists and technicians, at best many could only speculate or theorise how these machines operated.

As for how those who could understand the technology in the most rudimentary sense, they have only been able to add or modify a few features of IS cores, making some ways to upgrading IS to a degree. However many prefer to operate IS as they are rather than go through the painstaking process of modifying parts of an IS core due to the sheer complexity of understanding the rudimentary codecs.

The Political Impact:  
The Alaska Treaty created by the UN imposed that no country was to openly use IS in any form of aggressive military activity, it would permit the existence of a military force of IS only under the supervision of the UN. And the UN would retain a force of IS to ensure that there is no breach within the treaty; another reason was to posture the strength of the UN against those who might see it as a puppet for other first world nations.

Considerable effort was made to build up a sufficient amount of strength behind the UN, though it still only acts as a mediator, it cannot impose policies without the support of the countries under NATO. So the UN does grant some leeway to countries which possess considerable influence, such as America or Russia, China doesn't openly participate, but adds support.

Thanks to the introduction of IS and the fact that only women could operate IS, there has been a noticeable shift in social and political structure across the world, one example being the collapse of the old British government and the matriarchal hierarchy which has taken hold. Another change has been the military involvement of women in military development.

Russia's infamous Chernaya molniya, Black Lightning force, which consisted of a number of highly advanced military Infinite Stratos which featured advanced stealth and combat systems derived from the Su-47 Berkut. The force earned a frightening reputation during the 'grazhdanskogo vosstaniya', the civil uprisings started by smaller nations surrounding Russia. Crimea and a few other nations/states opposed the idea of Russia retaining such powerful military above them.

The Russian president of the time ordered a quick and devastating show of force against the upstarts, and soon the regions were brought back under control, though dissent by various smaller groups have been plaguing the western regions of Russia ever since.

In Europe there had been a gradual change in the political and social atmosphere, while France, Germany, Sweden and Poland agreed the use of IS would be restricted to defensive actions and not open aggressive tactics. Middle Eastern terrorist groups incited numerous civil upsets and a few dedicated attacks. Mostly in opposition to further influence of Europe's power over the Middle East that had changed in the last decade.

Europe's response in this period was aggressive, to which they deployed a sizeable force of Infinite Stratos into the field, these units quickly crushed numerous insurgent groups and suspected terrorist factions. It was during this time that Infinite Stratos quickly became thought of as a tool of oppression by the people of the Middle East, due to their neigh invulnerability to small arms and unconventional weapons such as IEDs and suicide bombs.

Of course that said, it had also become a symbol of dominance and power, as these machines could not be harmed by anything short of constant barrages set by high powered anti-tank weapons or bombs which exceeded a payload of 1000 pounds. It had also influenced some reforms for women in the Middle East, thanks in part to the nature of such powerful weapons.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates adopted the use of Infinite Stratos within recent times, but the impact they made caused a lot of changes, many women seeing the opportunity to try and push forwards for modernisation. There has been resistance by conservative groups and traditionalists; however the general consensus favoured the push for change.

This wasn't isolated between the Arab nations, within Iran, a gradual change had also occurred thanks in part of Infinite Stratos, something which would later lead to a push for democracy as a coup perpetuated by a group of political revivalists called for a new republic. Iranian women supported this change for political and social; it was little surprise that the New Persian Republic was founded some time afterwards.

In the United States, the social upheaval of Infinite Stratos had variable effects, one being the general increase of women in the field of military developments and greater social and political activities. Even in more conservative regions of the US, there were noticeable changes, though some may just refer to it as favouritism or radical feminism.

The creation of IS however didn't have a particularly positive effect in some cases though, internet groups and social bands of men felt that women were pushing for change far too quickly, and tension between genders weren't coping particularly well. Some felt that women dictating how policy should be written in part due to their control of IS was seen as unfair, in some case idiotic.

Considerable effort was made to try and curtail negative influences; however this resulted in more passive aggressive factions opposing the sudden changes. Small bands of resistance began to form in the later years, these organisations attempting to develop technologies to fight against IS. They're only referred to as Pariahs, though intended as an insult; the men who live under the term Pariah see it as a badge of honour.

There was even an attempted coup by an extremist group against the further development of Infinite Stratos, of course this coup was ultimately subdued, and it had a large sociological effect. For the most part the issue of gender equality and sexism had been a rather complicated issue, something which only had further worsened in the last 6 years thanks to IS.

Another unfortunate effect of the IS distribution was the gender shift, with women becoming more prominent in the social outlook, it had become very hard to criticise those women, thanks in part to the influence they held, or at least the social influence. The impact of their affairs on the political scale garnered support their respective governments, usually this was rewarded by the government turning blind eyes to things like criminal records or scandals involving certain party members.

This was compounded by the growing socio-economic gap between IS pilots, mainly those from prestigious backgrounds to those of rather subdued origins, this is no more prevalent than in the UK, China, Japan and Korea, some European nations also seem to lean towards in this direction as well.

XXXXX

AN: Alright, I've done all I could, I'm hoping this does well with all of you, trying to give Ichika a better personality while not entirely detracting from his ignorance. This will have to do.


End file.
